It’s 8.45am and I’m telling my son I love him as I kiss him, hug him… and practically shove him towards the door at school before dashing home. Yes, it’s been a long weekend, but I’m not rushing him in just because I’m ready for a break, but because I want to to get back home in time to be able to jump on my Peloton before I start work – there’s a very specific 30 minute gap in my life, four days a week (WFH days) where some exercise might actually happen, and 9 to 9.30am is it.
Firstly, I’m going to have to declare my complete privilege in being lucky enough to own a Peloton – I’m aware they’re eye-wateringly expensive. Yes, you can now rent the bikes for £99 per month (with £200 joining fee) (which you could share with someone else in the house, unlike an expensive gym membership) and there are loads of decent deals on second-hand bikes on the official Peloton eBay store. But, I understand that sometimes the maths doesn’t math still in the current climate – especially if you are shelling out for mortgage A (your house) and mortgage B (your childcare).
That said, I was thrilled to discover this weekend that I had something in common with mega-famous, wealthy, gorgeous influencer and mother Molly-Mae Hague, who declared her love (and I’m presuming it is love, because there was no hashtag ad) for her Peloton bike on her Instagram Stories.
Image Source: @MollyMae on Instagram
Over a video of her using the bike, she wrote: “My Peloton has been sat collecting dust since I bought it, but this week I’m obsessed? The 30 minute classes are perfect for me and I don’t feel stressed/exercise anxiety (iykyk) when I use it! I’ve had a bit of a stressful mum weekend but 30 minutes on here clears my head so much.”
Ok, I know, newsflash, exercise is good for your mental health. But honestly, there is something about the Peloton specifically that has really (finally, after years of seeing exercise as a way to battle, not celebrate my body) shown me how much of a release exercise can be for my mind. I’ve become one of those people who notices they’ve got a bit grumpy not just because they’re tired/hormonal/already dealt with nine toddler tantrums before daybreak, but because I’ve not exercised that day. During a particularly stressful patch at work, it became a complete non-negotiable and the only way I could make it through the day without rocketing blood pressure. There’s so many reasons I’ve become a walking, talking advert for the bikes for relieving stress and anxiety.
There’s something about the Peloton classes I find so distracting and mentally altering, aside from the chemical hit we know comes from raising our heart rate. Being able to choose classes with songs that will hype you up that day (more Little Mix, no faceless EDM thanks) or instructors that will fit your mood (do you want to be soothed, hyped or ass kicked?) really helps. And I don’t know how they choose the instructors, but I’m going to admit that several of them have fully made me cry. I thought the (undoubtedly sometimes) American motivational vibes would make my eyes roll back into my head, instead they’re watering away as the instructors repeatedly take time to acknowledge that sometimes it’s hard to find the space to make time or yourself, and praise you for just trying.
When I did a class with Peloton instructor Ally Love and met her in only my socks for some reason
The fact that you can choose the length of your workout is also great if you’re slotting things into tiny gaps in your busy day, like many working parents are. It’s also perfect if you’re tempted to try exercise snacking (fitting little breaks of exercise throughout your day as you can, sadly nothing to do with food). And, I’ll be honest, it’s ideal if you’re just shattered and don’t think you can face it. Because often, getting yourself clipped in telling yourself you’ll only do 15 minutes often leads to a workout that’s much longer, and the flexibility of “stacking” classes as you go, allows this.
And I agree with Molly-Mae that it’s often in stressful parenting (and work) moments that I really notice the days when there’s a moment on the bike, and there’s not. Sometimes on a Saturday or Sunday especially, you can feel guilty sloping off to take half an hour for yourself when you’re supposed to be capturing “precious moments” together. But 20 or 30 minutes on the bike undoubtedly has me returning a less stressed and angry (if only because I’ve exhausted myself) parent.
Of course, the big sell for parents is that the exercise can take place at home. Who can afford childcare for daily exercise? Sure you can run (my second pregnancy ruined my knees) or follow YouTube workouts (they’re great, I just always put them off and hate burpees which they all seem to contain?) – I guess as ever it’s about finding what works for you, and this works for me. Being able to dedicate the spare half hour I have to just getting it done, rather than travelling to and from a gym is the real bonus. And it’s true for not having a partner disappear for two hours to a golf course or similar too…
Enjoying my bike at home in the garage
As Molly-Mae alludes to as well, there’s benefits for many of us for doing it alone. Gyms have been ruined by everyone thinking they’re a social media star (sorry, I know that makes me sound old, but you know it’s true). And wandering in post two babies in a baggy t-shirt and old leggings without a scrap of make-up on (sorry, what’s with the make-up for exercise, I can’t) is just another hurdle I don’t have to face by working out at home.
Gabrielle Alexander, a Primary School Deputy Head and mum-of-two agrees: “It’s my best buy ever. I love that it’s in my house and in 30 minutes you are done. It removes all the stress of going to the gym and having to find childcare – I let my 3-year-old play next to me if he’s home.
“I feel like I have to do it for my mental health. It makes me feel calmer and if I am having an overwhelmed few days it helps relieve my anxiety.”
So, thanks Peloton for everything – up to and including this new kinship with Molly-Mae. I’ve said for a year now that the Peloton is the parenting exercise dream and should be specifically marketed at mothers, but the phone call never came. I guess they can thank me and Molly-Mae another time.
Rhiannon Evans is the interim content director at PS UK. Rhiannon has been a journalist for 17 years, starting at local newspapers before moving to work for Heat magazine and Grazia. As a senior editor at Grazia, she helped launch parenting brand The Juggle, worked across brand partnerships, and launched the “Grazia Life Advice” podcast. An NCE-qualified journalist (yes, with a 120-words-per-minute shorthand), she has written for The Guardian, Vice and Refinery29.
